By Alan M. Petrillo

It took about three years from concept to delivery, but Vancouver (Canada) Fire & Rescue Services persevered with the project to get a technical rescue truck built that could handle a combination of several rescue disciplines by itself.

The result is a tandem-rear-axle vehicle built by SVI Trucks on a Spartan Gladiator long four-door (LFD) chassis and cab with a 20-inch raised roof and seating for five firefighters.

1 Vancouver (Canada) Fire & Rescue Services had SVI Trucks build a technical rescue truck on a Spartan Gladiator long four-door (LFD) chassis and cab with a 20-inch raised roof, seating for five firefighters, and a Command Light tower on top of the cab. (Photos courtesy of SVI Trucks.)

Tyler Moore, Vancouver’s deputy chief, says that Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services took over technical rescue duties in the city in the mid 1990s. “Then it was mostly rope rescue and confined space, but now it covers high- and low-angle rescue, confined space, trench rescue, and structural collapse,” Moore points out. “We wanted a truck to accommodate those needs and the combination of disciplines as well as to have auto extrication capabilities with cutters, spreaders, and rams.”

Equipment Cache

Kenneth Lepard, Vancouver’s assistant chief in charge of vehicles, says the department put together a team that laid out what they thought the approximate size of compartments should be on the new truck and also provided an extensive equipment list of what had to be carried. “We wanted to see how vendors would mount all that equipment and knew it was doable based on what other cities have done,” Lepard says. “But, we knew it also would be a challenge because we wanted to carry more.” He adds, “There aren’t a lot of extra vehicle bays in the city, so we tried to combine as much as possible in one truck. It also allows us to have a team cross-staff the vehicle.” Ultimately, he notes, “SVI Trucks came to us with a proposal that was really close to what we wanted, and they got the contract.”

It took three preconstruction meetings, but SVI and the Vancouver team were able to trim some of the items off the equipment list and also improve the crew area of the cab, raise the body, move the Command Light from the body of the truck to the cab, add lumber storage, and shorten the length of the front bumper.

2 The technical rescue truck is powered by a Cummins 500-hp ISX12 diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission with retarder.

Lepard says, “SVI provided great computer-aided design drawings to start with, but we had so much equipment on the floor that had to go on the truck that they had a fabricator working with us the whole time to suggest the mounting of tools and how to make them fit.”

Moore says that the department “had a good idea of the equipment that was to be used most frequently, so we made some changes to rol

By Alan M. Petrillo

It took about three years from concept to delivery, but Vancouver (Canada) Fire & Rescue Services persevered with the project to get a technical rescue truck built that could handle a combination of several rescue disciplines by itself.

The result is a tandem-rear-axle vehicle built by SVI Trucks on a Spartan Gladiator long four-door (LFD) chassis and cab with a 20-inch raised roof and seating for five firefighters.

1 Vancouver (Canada) Fire & Rescue Services had SVI Trucks build a technical rescue truck on a Spartan Gladiator long four-door (LFD) chassis and cab with a 20-inch raised roof, seating for five firefighters, and a Command Light tower on top of the cab. (Photos courtesy of SVI Trucks.)

Tyler Moore, Vancouver’s deputy chief, says that Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services took over technical rescue duties in the city in the mid 1990s. “Then it was mostly rope rescue and confined space, but now it covers high- and low-angle rescue, confined space, trench rescue, and structural collapse,” Moore points out. “We wanted a truck to accommodate those needs and the combination of disciplines as well as to have auto extrication capabilities with cutters, spreaders, and rams.”

Equipment Cache

Kenneth Lepard, Vancouver’s assistant chief in charge of vehicles, says the department put together a team that laid out what they thought the approximate size of compartments should be on the new truck and also provided an extensive equipment list of what had to be carried. “We wanted to see how vendors would mount all that equipment and knew it was doable based on what other cities have done,” Lepard says. “But, we knew it also would be a challenge because we wanted to carry more.” He adds, “There aren’t a lot of extra vehicle bays in the city, so we tried to combine as much as possible in one truck. It also allows us to have a team cross-staff the vehicle.” Ultimately, he notes, “SVI Trucks came to us with a proposal that was really close to what we wanted, and they got the contract.”

It took three preconstruction meetings, but SVI and the Vancouver team were able to trim some of the items off the equipment list and also improve the crew area of the cab, raise the body, move the Command Light from the body of the truck to the cab, add lumber storage, and shorten the length of the front bumper.

2 The technical rescue truck is powered by a Cummins 500-hp ISX12 diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission with retarder.

Lepard says, “SVI provided great computer-aided design drawings to start with, but we had so much equipment on the floor that had to go on the truck that they had a fabricator working with us the whole time to suggest the mounting of tools and how to make them fit.”

Moore says that the department “had a good idea of the equipment that was to be used most frequently, so we made some changes to rol

By Alan M. Petrillo

It took about three years from concept to delivery, but Vancouver (Canada) Fire & Rescue Services persevered with the project to get a technical rescue truck built that could handle a combination of several rescue disciplines by itself.

The result is a tandem-rear-axle vehicle built by SVI Trucks on a Spartan Gladiator long four-door (LFD) chassis and cab with a 20-inch raised roof and seating for five firefighters.

1 Vancouver (Canada) Fire & Rescue Services had SVI Trucks build a technical rescue truck on a Spartan Gladiator long four-door (LFD) chassis and cab with a 20-inch raised roof, seating for five firefighters, and a Command Light tower on top of the cab. (Photos courtesy of SVI Trucks.)

Tyler Moore, Vancouver’s deputy chief, says that Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services took over technical rescue duties in the city in the mid 1990s. “Then it was mostly rope rescue and confined space, but now it covers high- and low-angle rescue, confined space, trench rescue, and structural collapse,” Moore points out. “We wanted a truck to accommodate those needs and the combination of disciplines as well as to have auto extrication capabilities with cutters, spreaders, and rams.”

Equipment Cache

Kenneth Lepard, Vancouver’s assistant chief in charge of vehicles, says the department put together a team that laid out what they thought the approximate size of compartments should be on the new truck and also provided an extensive equipment list of what had to be carried. “We wanted to see how vendors would mount all that equipment and knew it was doable based on what other cities have done,” Lepard says. “But, we knew it also would be a challenge because we wanted to carry more.” He adds, “There aren’t a lot of extra vehicle bays in the city, so we tried to combine as much as possible in one truck. It also allows us to have a team cross-staff the vehicle.” Ultimately, he notes, “SVI Trucks came to us with a proposal that was really close to what we wanted, and they got the contract.”

It took three preconstruction meetings, but SVI and the Vancouver team were able to trim some of the items off the equipment list and also improve the crew area of the cab, raise the body, move the Command Light from the body of the truck to the cab, add lumber storage, and shorten the length of the front bumper.

2 The technical rescue truck is powered by a Cummins 500-hp ISX12 diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission with retarder.

Lepard says, “SVI provided great computer-aided design drawings to start with, but we had so much equipment on the floor that had to go on the truck that they had a fabricator working with us the whole time to suggest the mounting of tools and how to make them fit.”

Moore says that the department “had a good idea of the equipment that was to be used most frequently, so we made some changes to rol

By Carl Nix

I recently read a news story about a team of firefighters who used a thermal imaging camera (TIC) to locate and rescue a fisherman whose boat had capsized. As I read this story, it became clear to me that these firefighters were well-trained in the use of thermal imaging technology and used that training knowhow during this rescue.

As I’ve said previously, a TIC cannot see underwater, but it can detect heat sources above the water. The firefighters who were conducting this TIC search knew that. As the firefighters scanned the water and the shoreline, their TIC screen showed a “white” speck, indicating some sort of heat source. The firefighters followed that speck, which led them to the fisherman, who had made it to shore. The fisherman is a very lucky man that these firefighters immediately thought to use the TIC to find him. According to the fire chief, it was cold and dark outside, making it extremely difficult to conduct a search. In fact, the fire department feared the worst and was in the process of calling in divers to begin searching the water. Under these extreme conditions, the TIC helped to save this man’s life.

These firefighters had the forethought to use the TIC and, most importantly, understood the technology to investigate the “white” speck they saw on the TIC’s screen. TICs are becoming more common in fire departments now that this tool is better understood by the fire service and much more affordable to purchase. Thermal imaging technology is not only for fighting fires but for emergency incidents that firefighters respond to every day. Let’s look at using a TIC in nonfire applications.

1 A thermal image of a car seat showing hot spots. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)

Motor vehicle accidents happen every day, but how often do firefighters use a TIC when responding to them? When arriving on the scene, it’s critical to determine how many people were in the vehicle prior to the accident to account for all occupants. Use the TIC to check the automobile seats for hot spots to determine how many people were in the car. A TIC cannot see through glass, so be sure to open or remove the vehicle’s door or window before you scan. Don’t scan just one seat; scan multiple seats at the same time for comparative purposes, since your TIC will show residual heat. Look for contrasting heat signatures.

Recently, a firefighter shared with me an incident that occurred at night where a motorist lost control of his automobile and hit a tree at a high speed. On arrival, firefighters found the driver unconscious inside the car and the passenger door open. They used the TIC to scan the inside of the car. The image on the TIC screen indicated a hot spot on the passenger’s seat. Knowing this, the crew used the TIC to scan the area and found a second victim several feet away from the accident.

2 This thermal image shows heat signatures from a car’s tire and brakes.

I am often asked, how long will the thermal contrast remain after a person has left the seat? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly, but you can typically count on 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the outside temperature, humidity, the seat and clothing materials, and the amount of time the person was sitt